In the past three years, Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre has been forced to mix up his lineup with regularity due to players graduating, injuries and personnel changes.

But in every game SU has played since a Sept. 16, 2011, matchup against California Polytechnic Institute, McIntyre has scribbled down the same name in the central midfield position: Nick Perea. Perea will make his 46th straight start on Friday as the Orange (8-4-0, 2-4-0 Atlantic Coast) hosts Pittsburgh (0-6-3, 0-5-1) at 7 p.m. at SU Soccer Stadium.

“He’s been one of our ever-present guys,” McIntyre said. “He goes a little bit under the radar. He’s been of one of those unsung heroes. But the guys on the team realize how important he is to us. He’s a very valuable part of what we’re doing.”

In the 1,102 minutes Syracuse has played this season, Perea has been on the field for 1049 of them — a staggering 95 percent. In the three games he didn’t play whistle to whistle — Manhattan, Connecticut and North Carolina State — SU won by a combined score of 10-1.

“I’m willing to put everything out there to help my team win,” Perea said. “If the coaches believe in me to start every game, then I will put everything out there and try to get as many W’s as we can.”

Perea may not be the flashiest player, but his SU teammates know he consistently does whatever needs to be done to win.

McIntyre said Perea brings a cool demeanor to the field and also a high level of fitness and athleticism.

“He’s probably the engine in the midfield,” said midfielder Stefanos Stamoulacatos, who has also started every game in the midfield this year. “He’s always consistent, game in and game out, and he does his job all the time.”

Perea is currently fourth on the team in points, with three goals and an assist. His three-goal total this year eclipses the two goals combined from his freshman and sophomore seasons.

“Perea does all the dirty work, basically, and helps us attackers do our thing,” Stamoulacatos said. “And then when we need him to get up, get in on some crosses and do some finishing, he does well.”

The junior Perea tallied his first goal of the season on Sept. 2 against Hartwick, a gritty score that deflected off a cluster of defenders to extend SU’s lead to 2-0.

In the following game against Virginia Tech, Perea scored on a penalty kick early in the first half to give the Orange a 1-0 lead. Against Massachusetts, he was stopped on penalty kick attempt, but scored seven minutes later on a header inside the right post.

“If I do get to score and help out my team out, it’s great, but I’m more into the team play,” Perea said. “If I see other guys scoring I’m happy for them and I try to help them score as much as possible. I’m not too big into scoring, but if it does happen, it happens.”

In the last three years, if Syracuse soccer takes the field, odds are so does Perea. The midfielder from Hollywood, Fla., started 14 of 16 games his freshman year. In his sophomore year he started all 21 matches and was second on the team in minutes with 1,899.

Against Pittsburgh this weekend, Perea will once again be in the lineup, providing that consistent play he’s brought since he was a freshman.

“He’s managed to stay healthy, and even when he’s been nicked up, which has been a couple of times this year, he finds a way to get out there,” McIntyre said. “He’s one of the first names on the team sheet every week.”

Published on October 10, 2013 at 12:56 am

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu